California voters on Tuesday passed Proposition 71, which will issue bonds to provide $295 million annually for 10 years for human embryonic stem cell research in the state, the AP/San Francisco Chronicle reports (Elias, AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 11/3). Voters approved the measure 59% to 41% with 99% of precincts reporting, according to CNN.com (CNN.com, 11/3). Proposition 71 will provide funds for one University of California campus, as well as institutes and companies in the state that conduct embryonic stem cell research. The measure will provide grants and loans to organizations that conduct research with stem cells derived from human embryos that are less than two weeks old. The measure also will establish a 29-member committee -- appointed by the governor, University of California chancellors and other officials -- that will determine allocation of the funds. Passage of the ballot measure makes California the first state to publicly fund embryonic stem cell research (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 11/1). Exit polls indicated that voters were swayed by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's (R) endorsement of the measure and recent commercials supporting the measure that featured the late actor Christopher Reeve, the AP/Yahoo! News reports (McShane, AP/Yahoo! News, 11/3).

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The proposition, which drew national attention, was the "most rancorous" issue on the California ballot this year, according to the AP/Chronicle (AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 11/3). Supporters of the initiative said it could make California a world leader in one of the "most promising, though controversial" fields of biology, attracting scientists and businesses to the state, the San Francisco Chronicle reports (Hall, San Francisco Chronicle, 11/3). Opponents of the measure said they had both moral and financial concerns about the proposal, according to the AP/Chronicle. Supporters of the measure predicted that the victory will "prompt other states to enact similar programs in defiance of Bush administration policy." They said that the Bush administration has "severely restricted" funding for human embryonic stem cell research, which has slowed progress in the field, the AP/Chronicle reports (AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 11/3). President Bush on Aug. 9, 2001, announced a policy limiting federally funded embryonic stem cell research to cell lines created on or before that date (Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, 10/29).